I am vehemently pro-choice because I think that if abortion were illegal - even with limited exceptions - MANY things will happen in addition to the return of "back alley" abortions and women dying of horrible complications:

In honor of Sesame Street, do you remember the cartoon with the girl holding a balloon with a cat nearby when she ask "What would happen if I popped this balloon?" Here's what will happen if we pop the Rove v Wade balloon...

1.) The rich and well-connected will still have access to safe and discrete abortions.

2.) Some women who experience miscarriages and stillbirths will be subject to scrutiny. Imagine the miscreant Akin talking about a "legitimate miscarriage." Imagine prosecutors determining if there's enough evidence to press charges against a grieving woman. I often wonder if my situation would be suspect. Would someone second guess my decision to take care of my 1 yr old and press charges for murder because I didn't follow doctor's orders for bed rest?

3.) Some women who are raped will be accused of falsifying testimony in order to have an abortion.

4.) Some women who get pregnant through consensual sex will falsely accuse their partner of rape in order to have an abortion.

5.) More children will be born into loveless homes where they are neglected and abused.

6.) More children will be found cut up and stuffed in freezers or buried in shallow graves because their parent(s) (or grandparents or other caregiver) are not equipped to take care of them.

7.) The court system will be overwhelmed with contested cases and the clock will run out for many women that "qualify" for an abortion.

8.) Men will be widowers when they lose their wives to things like ectopic pregnancies (I bet Akin doesn't even know what that is) or treatable cancer. (If no medical exception.)

9.) Rapists' DNA will be passed on along (more than it already is) with all the mental illnesses that led to them being rapists in the first place. (Evolution is supposed to work against this but what do we expect if the lawmakers don't believe in evolution.)

10.) Worth repeating...The rich and well-connected will continue to have access to safe and discrete abortions.

I really think that the way to reduce abortions is to have insurance for all with contraception covered and a great prenatal care program; have a good low cost adoption system; have financial support for single women and low income families that provides a healthy and safe environment to raise a child and have community programs that supports kids and teens so that they are not left on their own while their parents are working.

That post is better than my original post! That's such a good point about rich people being able to get abortions. I was in high school in the seventies, and in the years before Roe V Wade, I can remember mothers talking in hushed tones about Mrs so-and-so going shopping in New York with her daughter and snickering about how it was really a trip to a "Park Avenue Doctor."

Welcome to DU, by the way. I really enjoyed your post.

I took a shortcut and pulled it from one of my recent posts on another thread.

I wish our debates were structured to let them support/prove their stances on issues rather than just an interactive advertisement where they just repeat their campaign speeches and commercials.

Thank you for providing some valuable insights and information. I wholeheartedly agree with what you have posted.

I would only add that abortion is also an economic issue in the sense that fewer women might choose abortion if the social safety net through policies and laws is secure for the health and well-being of their children. Those who are vehemently pro-life fail to take the impact of the ability to take care of children after they are born into consideration. These policies and laws are threatened by the right.

When Democrats say that we can be both pro-life and pro-choice this is the aspect we are talking about. I, personally, am pro-life in that I would like to see fewer women choose abortion, but I cannot impose that belief on others. It is their decision to make. In that regard, I am pro-choice as I want the government to stay out of this issue.

Recently, someone said to me that she was pro-life and would be voting for Romney because she wanted to be able to say to God when she gets to heaven that she had voted the right way. I explained my position and said that I am a Christian and I have full confidence that I can go to heaven and God will be perfectly fine with me and my choice to vote for Democrats because Democrats firmly believe in taking care of children through the social safety net for those who need the assistance.

It later occurred to me that she was implying that all Democrats are going to hell. She was telling me to my face that my parents are both burning in hell because they voted for Democrats their entire life. Believe me, if anyone ever says something like that to me again, I will be loaded and ready to put them in their place.

I meant to respond to you earlier but we're getting ready to move and I got side-tracked. I have similar views of abortion as you do and I have often wished that churches and pro-life groups would use their resources to help pregnant women and women with children instead of focusing on overturning laws. If churches would spend just a fraction of their yearly budget on formula and diapers and child care, they could prevent more abortions than they would by over-turning Roe-v-Wade. That's the other reason I think this issue is more about turning back the clock on women's rights than it is about "life." It's not about "saving babies" it's about controlling women.

I commend your reasoning.

Churches should be taking the approach you suggest.